Thanks for coming back to Part three of our exploration of the top 100 movies of the last 25 years. Today’s installment starts with 1998 and goes through 2001. I just wanted to explain quickly why this installment has as many entries as the others but covers far fewer years.
Quite simply, 1998 and 1999 are two of the most prolific years of good film. For film lovers, these were two golden years and when you see the films we’ve chosen, we think you’ll agree. The other surprising thing about these films are that not a lot of them ended up nominated for the Best Picture Oscar in their respective years.
1998:
53. Dark City (IMDb): This has long been one of the favorites of more than a few of the Big Shiny Robot!s here on the site and there’s a reason Alex Proyas’ crowning acheivement is on this list. He flawlessly fused the genre of noir and science fiction in a way that is often imitated (*cough*like that shitfest the Matrix*cough*) but never duplicated. If you haven’t seen this film, you owe it to yourself to see it immediately. Seriously, even Roger Ebert said it was the best film of 1998. (Trailer)
54. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (IMDb): Terry Gilliam’s wonderfully quotable (though it’s quoted far too often) rendition of Hunter S. Thompson’s classic work of Gonzo journalism earns it’s way on this list with ease. This is Johnny Depp at his best, which is why it’s so surprising to us that people are suddenly now realizing he’s a good actor and he’s been doing some of his best work for more than a decade. The same goes for Benecio Del Toro who put on 40 pounds for his transformation in this picture. (Trailer)
55. Rushmore (IMDb): Wes Anderson’s crowning achievement can be seen here in the masterpiece Rushmore. A lot of people will tell you that The Royal Tenenbaums is his best film, but Rushmore embodies a restraint of his style that serves a much more charming and touching story. Bill Murray is also king in this picture alongside Jason Schwartzman and the breathtaking (yet shockingly coarse) Olivia Williams. (Trailer)
56. The Big Lebowski (IMDb): This is, perhaps, the most quoted film of our generation. Add to the fact that it’s an extremely funny satirical take on a classic noir-ish genre, this has become a cult classic. It’s an absurdist tale populated by absurd but wonderfully loveable characters like The Dude, Walter Sobchak, Donny, Brandt, Bunny, and the whole gang. If you haven’t seen this film yet, there’s something clinically wrong with you. (Trailer)
57. Thin Red Line (IMDb): One of the most visually striking and heart-rending war films ever made, this film made the mistake of coming out too closely on the heels of Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan.” People were expecting a tough, terse war film in that mold and weren’t expecting the poetic art of Malick’s superior masterpiece. The highlight of the film? The battle of wills between Nick Nolte and Elias Koteas and the cameos by pretty much everyone under the sun. Jim Caviezel, though, carries the film on his back and is the crux of the poignant ending where he finally is able to embrace his death and choose his last breath. (Trailer)
58. Magnolia (IMDb): Every character in this movie is completely relatable, from the abused daughter to the woman scrutinizing Frank T.J. Mackey. And no matter what side of an argument or debate a character is on, you can sympathize with both parties. Every minute of screen time, and every line spoken by everyone (including small parts like the pharmacist) mean something. Phillip Seymour Hoffman (among half a dozen other members of the cast) should have gotten an Oscar. (Trailer)
59. Shakespeare in Love (IMDb): A lot of people felt burned by two years in a row by the Academy, what with Titanic winning and then Shakespeare in Love. What a lot of people didn’t realize is that Shakespeare in Love didn’t just deserve it, but it’s one of the smartest, most romantic and fun movies ever filmed. The script is easily one of the most carefully constructed and the cast (including the always delightful Tom Wilkinson) is top notch. If you overlooked this movie or offered it any amount of disdain, come back to it now and more than a couple of us here at BSR are sure it’ll be worth it for you. (Trailer)
1999:
60. Talented Mr. Ripley (IMDb): Arguably Anthony Minghella’s best film, The Talented Mr. Ripley, is based on a favorite source of material for Alfred Hitchcock, Patricia Highsmith (who also wrote the novel Strangers on a Train was based on.) With an knockout cast and Matt Damon in, hands down, his best role ever, the film is a tight thriller that keeps you guessing all the way through to its shocking conclusions. Minghella went out of the way to make it as Hitchcockian as possible, even emulating Saul Bass We can’t recommend this movie enough. (Trailer)
61. Fight Club (IMDb): David Fincher created a cult classic by adapting Chuck Pahlanuik’s novel of the same name, despite claims that the book was unadaptable. This is also another in a string of movies that reminded people that Brad Pitt could act. Stylistically and in tone, the film is wonderful to look at and a joy to revisit even though some of it’s themes and plot points seem a bit more forceful and clunky than upon initial viewing. (Trailer)
62. Toy Story 2 (IMDb):This is another film with a screenplay like a fine Swiss watch. The screenwriters, filmmakers and animators were able to so wholly adapt the world of toys into a living breathing organism in a way that is extremely smart that’s easy for adults to appreciate, but also in a form that kids not only appreciate, but they appreciate it so much that they will watch it over and over and over and over and over again. (Trailer)
63. Eyes Wide Shut (IMDb): Much maligned and misunderstood, it’s taken a lot of time and assurances to convince a lot of people that this is indeed a classic Stanley Kubrick film as good or better as any of his other work. Kubrick also did some incredible things with the cinematography, largely lighting and shooting the film by himself on top of guiding Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman to could arguably be called the greatest performances of their lives. The film, though structured non-traditionally, is a master-work in tone, theme and subtext and is truly a wonderful thing to see. (Trailer)
64. Iron Giant (IMDb): Not just a film for kids, nerds or fans of film, The Iron Giant truly transcends demographic and is a perfect film for literally anyone. It’s charming, funny, heart-wrenching and hand animated gorgeously. This was the film that tipped us off about Brad Bird and his genius and he hasn’t disappointed us yet (in fact, all of his movies made the list in one way or another.) I also make no bones about mentioning that this is hands down the best film Vin Diesel has ever been involved with. (Trailer)
65. Sweet and Lowdown (IMDb): Often overlooked by critics and film fans in recent times, Sweet and Lowdown was another of the best films in a great year not nominated for best picture (along with Eyes Wide Shut, Magnolia and The Talented Mr. Ripley, among others) Woody Allen created this historical fiction story about a 1930s jazz guitarist played to perfection by Sean Penn. He also directed Samantha Morton to a Best Actress Nomination without her character ever uttering a single word. (Trailer)
66. All About My Mother (IMDb): Another Pedro Almodovar picture added to the list, Dr. Cyborg and Clang! Boom! Steam! insist this film is not only one of the best on this list of the last 25 years, but in the history of cinema. With All About My Mother, Alomodovar once again proves that you can take characters in preposterous or taboo situations and make them not only relatable, but also charming. Our advice? Check out Almodovar starting here. (Trailer)
2000:
67. Requiem for a Dream (IMDb): Darren Arronofsky’s masterpiece? While some people may argue this movie is a downer and hard to watch, few would argue that it doesn’t have some of the best film editing in history of cinema. Also, few would argue that it has one of the most iconic soundtracks ever made and is cut to it masterfully. Good or bad, this movie triggers emotional responses by everyone that watches it and that is a difficult feat in itself. This proves without a doubt that Darren Arronofsky knows what he’s doing. (Trailer)
68. American Psycho (IMDb): This film is a hard one to categorize. It certainly contains Christian Bales first transformative performance as a self-obssessed yuppie serial murderer and that alone should be enough to make it to this list, but it’s got so much more than that. From it’s incredible use of cheesy music (Sussudio) to the horror of trying to feed a cat to an ATM machine, the film is both witty and horrifying and wrapped up in a mixture that isn’t common to any other film ever made. (Trailer)
2001:
69. The Devils Backbone (IMDb): A ghost story based during the Spanish civil war at an orphanage, The Devil’s Backbone is a well told story with heart (as opposed to most ghost stories told with horror.) We wouldn’t say that Guillermo Del Toro is the creator of this genre, but he certainly defines it. We would also like to say that for a smaller budget Spanish film, the make-up in this movie is more realistic then almost any Hollywood picture we’ve ever seen. (Trailer)
70. Ghost World (IMDb): Daniel Clowes and Terry Zwigoff make quite the team, add Scarlett Johansson, David Cross, and Steve Buscemi and it’s a safe bet that you are going to have a truly outstanding movie. Maybe not a conventional superhero comic book movie, but one of the best comic book movies none the less. This shit be funny! (Trailer)
71. Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), The Return of the King (2003) The greatest Trilogy of nerd films to come out since the completion of the original Indiana Jones Trilogy, The Lord of the Rings films were put together masterfully and made fantasy films cool again. These will definitly live on forever along with Star Wars and Indiana Jones. (Trilogy Super Trailer)
72. Y tu mama Tambien (IMDb): Wonderfully acted and masterfully cut. Their aren’t many people that know how to shoot a scene as well as Alfonso Cuaron. This movie also really drives in the fact that he is quite the screenwriter as well. It’s a wonder how he has never won an Oscar. He fits easilly in the ranks of Guillermo Del Toro, and Pedro Almodovar. (Trailer)